Chronological History

Sometimes we speak of world history as though it belongs to people. It doesn't—it belongs to God, and though people play prominently within the historical narrative, it always remains under God's auspices and control. The problem with losing the right perspective isn't that we'll get the facts wrong, it's that we'll fail to understand what they mean, what the purpose of past events is, and what we can look forward to.

Human history began all at once in the same place: the Garden of Eden, where God made Adam and Eve as the crown of all Creation. He told them to fill the earth and take dominion of it, and He also told them not to eat the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. They ate the fruit anyway, and mankind was removed from paradise and introduced to tension, pain, and resistance.

The story of the world is in many ways simply the story of adversity. For the enemies of God, it's adversity in the form of the failure and futility of purely human endeavor; for God's people, it's the story of fighting for the truth against secular philosophies, fighting for holiness despite the pervasiveness of sin, and fighting for the Gospel in the face of persecution and death.

Jesus Christ is our only hope. He is the Prince of Peace, the defeater of Death, and the King of the Universe, the saver of souls and the punisher of wickedness. His kingdom is the restoration and glorious fulfillment of the paradise from which Adam and Eve were removed, and we work, wait, hope and pray for the quick fulfillment of His will in all things.

This is our framework for history. While it's important to study things like the Renaissance, the Industrial Revolution, and the ancient Near East, it's only important when investigated through the lens of God's ultimate sovereignty and plan. The story of mankind is the story of redemption, and only when we analyze battles, kings, treaties, and catastrophes from God's perspective can we truly make sense of them.

Otherwise, it's all fairly irrelevant and useless. Sure, there's Napoleon's dictum that those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it, but a quick survey of the past will show that each successive generation does repeat the sins of their fathers, and that without Christ's real physical life on Earth as a centering point, there's no real cause for optimism or hope of any kind.

Christ's love not only makes the trajectory of history cause for hope; it reveals the truly great moments of the past, events that to the secular eye seem insignificant or even pernicious. We're speaking of the progress of the true Church, of course, and of each soul that God calls and makes His own through the agency of His Holy Spirit. These are the milestones we look for and celebrate.

We carry a lot of world history products. Because it's the story of God's work in the world and our human responses, we believe it's important to know and understand. Not everything we carry is Christian; there are plenty of secular resources here. We encourage you to use whichever ones work best for your situation, but that you do so with a view to understanding the will and work of the One who made history in the first place.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he is a husband and father, teaches adult Sunday school in his Presbyterian congregation, and likes weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.

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117 Items found Print
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Abraham Lincoln
by Clara Ingram Judson
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 3rd-7th grade
1951 Newbery Honor Book
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Across America on an Emigrant Train
by Jim Murphy
from Sandpiper Books
for 5th-8th grade
1994 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$10.95
Admiral Richard Byrd
Sterling Point Books
by Paul Rink
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical non-fiction for 5th-9th grade
in 20th Century Exploration (Location: HISW-20EXP)
Age of Fighting Sail
by C. S. Forester
from Chapman Billies, Inc
American Naval History for 8th-Adult
in War of 1812 (Location: HISA-19WET)
Alexander the Great
Sterling Point Books
by John Gunther
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
American Revolution
America at War Series
by Alden Carter
from Grolier Publishing
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Amistad
by Helen Kromer
from The Pilgrim Press
for 7th-Adult
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Amistad Slave Revolt and American Abolition
by Karen Zeinert
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in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$6.50 (1 in stock)
Amistad: A Long Road to Freedom
by Walter Dean Myers
from Puffin Books
for 5th-8th grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Antarctica: Escape from Disaster
by Peter Lerangis
from Scholastic Reference
for 4th-8th grade
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$3.00 (1 in stock)
Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Bethlehem Books
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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Archimedes and the Door of Science
by Jeanne Bendick
from Purple House Press
Biography for 5th-8th grade
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$10.99
Augustine
by P. de Zeeuw
from Inheritance Publications
Biography for 4th-6th grade
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$7.95
Barbary Pirates
Sterling Point Books
by C. S. Forester
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Naval History for 5th-8th grade
in Pirates (Location: HISV-PIRATE)
Battle in the Arctic Seas
Sterling Point Books
by Theodore Taylor
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Non-fiction for 3rd-7th
in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E)
Battle of Lexington
by Jonas Clark
from Nordskog Publishing
for 6th-10th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$8.50
Behind Enemy Lines
Sterling Point Books
by H.R. DeMallie
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-9th grade
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Ben Franklin
Sterling Point Books
by Thomas Fleming
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
Best Little Stories from World War II
by C. Brian Kelly
1996 Printing from Montpelier Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in World War II (1939-1945) (Location: HISA-20WW2)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bitter Woods: The Battle of the Bulge
by John S. D. Eisenhower
1st edition from Da Capo Press
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Boston Tea Party
by James E. Knight
Other Printing from Troll Associates
for 4th-6th grade
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Boys in the Boat adapted for Young Readers
by Daniel James Brown, adapted by Gregory Mone
from Penguin Putnam
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Boys of '76
by Charles Coffin
from Maranatha Publications
Historical Reference for 10th-Adult
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Brendan the Navigator
by Jean Fritz
from Penguin Putnam
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Bridge Too Far
by Cornelius Ryan
from Simon and Schuster
for 10th-Adult
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California Gold Rush
by May McNeer
from Random House Books for Young Readers
for 4th-6th grade
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Children of the Great Depression
by Russell Freedman
from Sandpiper Books
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2006 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in Great Depression (1929-1939) (Location: HISA-20GD)
$10.99
Children of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Clarion Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$5.00 (3 in stock)
Civil War: A Narrative - 3 Volume Set
by Shelby Foote
1st Vintage Books Ed from Vintage Classics
for 10th-Adult
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$88.00
Cornelius Ryan World War II Trilogy
by Cornelius Ryan
from Simon and Schuster
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Courage and Conviction
History Lives Volume 3
by Mindy & Brandon Withrow
from Christian Focus Publications
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Cowboys of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Sandpiper Books
Non-fiction for 4th-8th grade
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Cowboys of the Wild West
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
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$4.50 (1 in stock)
Danger in the Desert
by Roger Cohen
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-9th grade
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Daniel Boone
Sterling Point Books
by John Mason Brown
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 3rd-7th
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Exploits of Xenophon
World Landmark #18
by Geoffrey Household, illustrated by Leonard Everett Fisher
from Purple House Press
for 5th-9th grade
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$14.99
First Voyage to America
by Christopher Columbus
from Dover Publications
Historical Primary Sources for 10th-Adult
in Age of Exploration (1450-1700) (Location: HISA-16EXP)
$9.95
Fort Sumter to Perryville
The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 1
by Shelby Foote
1st Vintage Books ed from Vintage Classics
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Fourth of July Story
by Alice Dalgliesh
2nd edition from Aladdin Paperbacks
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$8.99
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The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 2
by Shelby Foote
from Vintage Classics
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in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Freedom Walkers
by Russell Freedman
from Holiday House
for 4th-6th grade
2007 NCTE Orbis Pictus Honor Book
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$14.99
From Glencoe to Stirling
Tales of a Scottish Grandfather Volume 3
by Sir Walter Scott
from Cumberland House
Historical Non-Fiction for 6th-9th grade
in Historical Fiction (Location: FIC-HIF)
General George Patton
Sterling Point Books
by Alden Hatch
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
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George Washington
Sterling Point Books
by Sterling North
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Give Me Liberty!
by Russell Freedman
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-9th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Give Me Liberty!
by Russell Freedman
Reprint from Holiday House
for 4th-9th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Great Escape
by Mike Meserole
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 6th-10th grade
in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E)
Great Fire
by Jim Murphy
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
1996 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$7.99
Great Fire
by Jim Murphy
Later Printing from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in 19th Century America (Location: HISA-19C)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Guns of August
by Barbara W. Tuchman
from Ballantine Books
for 10th-Adult
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Guns of August
by Barbara W. Tuchman
from Ballantine Books
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$8.99
Herodotus and the Road to History
by Jeanne Bendick
from Bethlehem Books
for 4th-6th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
History of the English-Speaking Peoples Volume 1
by Winston S. Churchill
from Barnes & Noble
for 7th-Adult
in Great Britain / England (Location: HISMC-BRIT)
History of the English-Speaking Peoples Volume 3
by Winston S. Churchill
from Barnes & Noble
for 9th-Adult
in Modern History (Location: HISW-MOD)
If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
If You Lived at the Time of Martin Luther King
by Ellen Levine
Updated from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968) (Location: HISA-20CIV)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution
If You Were There
by Kay Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War
If You Were There
by Kay Moore
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
$3.00 (2 in stock)
If You Lived in Colonial Times
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (4 in stock)
If You Lived in Williamsburg in Colonial Days
If You Were There
by Barbara Brenner, Jenny Williams (Ilustrator)
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Colonial America (1690-1765) (Location: HISA-17COL)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Sailed On the Mayflower in 1620
If You Were There
by Ann McGovern
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pilgrims at Plymouth (Location: HISA-17PIL)
If You Traveled On the Underground Railroad
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine & Larry Johnson
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
If You Traveled West in a Covered Wagon
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution
If You Were There
by Elizabeth Levy
from Scholastic Inc.
Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
$7.99 $5.00 (1 in stock)
If Your Name Was Changed at Ellis Island
If You Were There
by Ellen Levine & Wayne Parmenter
from Scholastic Inc.
Historical Non-Fiction for 2nd-5th grade
in Immigration & Emigration (Location: HISA-20IM)
$6.99 $4.00 (1 in stock)
In the Days of Queen Victoria
by Eva March Tappan
from Bookshelf Central
for 6th-10th grade
in Clearance: Biographies (Location: ZCLE-BIO)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Incredible Journey of Lewis and Clark
by Rhoda Blumberg
from HarperCollins
Historical Reference for 4th-7th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$12.99 $9.00 (1 in stock)
Invasion
Sterling Point Books
by Bruce Bliven
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-9th grade
in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E)
Jamestown
Sterling Point Books
by Olga Hall-Quest
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Non-fiction for 3rd-7th
in Jamestown Colony (Location: HISA-17JA)
Joan of Arc
Sterling Point Books
by Jay Williams
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 3rd-7th
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
John Paul Jones
Sterling Point Books
by Armstrong Sperry
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in War of 1812 (Location: HISA-19WET)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Journey to Monticello
Adventures in Colonial America
by James Knight
from Troll Publishing
Non-fiction for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
Journey to Monticello
Adventures in Colonial America
by James E. Knight
from Troll Communications
Non-fiction for 1st-4th grade
in American Revolution (1765-1783) (Location: HISA-18REV)
Last Battle
by Cornelius Ryan
Reprint from Simon and Schuster
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$20.00
Lawrence of Arabia
Sterling Point Books
by Alistair Maclean
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Biography for 5th-9th grade
in World War I (1914-1919) (Location: HISA-20WW1)
Lee and Grant at Appomattox
Sterling Point Books
by MacKinlay Kantor
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Non-fiction for 5th-8th grade
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
Lewis & Clark Expedition
by Richard Neuberger
from Sonlight Curriculum, Ltd.
for 5th-8th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
Life of Johnny Reb
by Bell Irvin Wiley
Updated Edition from Louisiana State University Press
for 10th-Adult
in American Civil War (1860-1865) (Location: HISA-19CW)
Longest Day
by Cornelius Ryan
from Touchstone
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.99
Magna Charta
Landmark Series
by James Daugherty
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Middle Ages (Location: HISW-MID)
$14.95
Miracle at Philadelphia
by Catherine Drinker Bowen
from Little, Brown & Company
Historical Non-fiction for 9th-Adult
in New Nation (1783-1800) (Location: HISA-18NN)
Monks and Mystics
History Lives Volume 2
by Mindy & Brandon Withrow
from Christian Focus Publications
for 5th-9th grade
in Church History for Kids (Location: XCH-KID)
Mountain Men and Fur Traders of the Far West
by LeRoy R. Hafen & Harvey L. Carter
from University of Nebraska
Biography for 9th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$21.95 $12.00 (1 in stock)
Naval War of 1812
by Theodore Roosevelt
from Random House
Historical Non-fiction for 10th-Adult
in War of 1812 (Location: HISA-19WET)
$15.95
Of Courage Undaunted
by James Daugherty
from Beautiful Feet Books
Non-Fiction for 5th-9th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$17.95
Path to the Pacific
Sterling Point Books
by Neta Lohnes Frazier
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-9th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
Pearl Harbor Attack
by Edwin P. Hoyt
from Sterling Publishing Co.
for 5th-8th grade
in WWII: Pacific Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2P)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Rebels Against Slavery
by Fredrick & Pat McKissack
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-6th grade
in Slavery & the Underground Railroad (Location: HISA-19SL)
Red River to Appomattox
The Civil War: A Narrative, Vol. 3
by Shelby Foote
from Vintage Classics
for 10th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Rising Tide
by Jeff Shaara
from Ballantine Books
Historical Non-fiction for 9th-Adult
in 20th & 21st Century Literature (Location: LIT7-20)
Rough Riders
by Theodore Roosevelt
from Dover Publications
Historical non-fiction for 9th-Adult
in Gilded Age (1865-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$8.95
Rubicon
by Tom Holland
from Abacus Fiction
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Runaway Slaves
by John Hope Franklin
from Oxford University
for 10th-Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Seaman
by Gail Karwoski & James Watling
from Peachtree Publishers, Ltd.
Historical Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in Lewis & Clark (Location: HISA-19L&C)
$9.99
Sinking of the Bismarck
Sterling Point Books
by William Shirer
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Non-Fiction for 5th-8th grade
in WWII: European Theater (Location: HISA-20WW2E)
Stampede for Gold
Sterling Point Books
by Pierre Berton
from Sterling Publishing Co.
Historical Non-fiction for 3rd-7th
in Gilded Age (1865-1918) (Location: HISA-19GI)
$6.95
Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans
by Edward Eggleston
2nd edition from Memoria Press
Narrative History for 1st-4th grade
in Biography Anthologies (Location: BIO-ANTH)
$14.65
Stories of Young Pioneers
by Violet T. Kimball
from Mountain Press
Historical Non-fiction for 6th-11th grade
in Pioneer & Frontier Life (Location: HISA-19PIO)
$14.00
Story of Liberty
by Charles Coffin
from Maranatha Publications
Historical Reference for 10th-Adult
in America's Christian Heritage (Location: HISA-CH)
$19.97 $10.00 (3 in stock)
Story of the Pony Express
Cornerstones of Freedom
by R. Conrad Stein
from Children's Press
for 4th-6th Grade
in Cornerstones of Freedom (Location: VIN-CORN)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
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